Due to the fact that our class is so focused on the use of technology in society, this post grabbed my attention. The meme reminded me of the picture from Tim Cushing’s “Technology Doesn't Make Us Less Social; It Just Changes the Way We Socialize.” In his article, Cushing posted a picture of a long line of people waiting for the bus who were on their cell phones instead of socializing with one another. This “epidemic” of technology pushing us away from each other isn’t a new phenomenon; books and newspapers have the same effect of pushing each other away as cell phones. I say this because my grandfather reads the newspaper every morning at the breakfast table and refuses to even interact with us before he gets his news. Also, before I even got a cell phone, I pushed people away by reading books on the bus, walking through the hallways (by the time I was ten, I had mastered the art of walking and reading at the same time), even when I was in the living room with my family. I used the books as a way to avoid social interactions with others, and I’m not the only one. I’m not implying that cell phones don’t push people away, but I am saying that it’s not the only medium people can use to do so.
I am like you. I would always read when I was little to be able to push people out. Now, I use my phone to avoid social interaction.
ReplyDeleteI actually attempted to get a guy to stop talking to me by reading a book and even going on my phone yet he didn't see the signs that I was trying to shut him out or pause him. From that experience, I learned that technology cannot pause everyone or keep people from socialize, even if it were unwanted.
ReplyDeleteI agree that people have been using mediums other than technology in order to ignore or escape uncomfortable social situations, and I used to do something similar when I was younger. As I have said in previous posts, I think many people in older generations (not all!) like to point and lecture about how phones are harming social interaction while willfully ignoring how they themselves did something similar when they were younger.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note, my mind immediately went to Lacan psychology and now I can't stop thinking about it 😂.
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